


Safe In Your Arms

by through_shadows_falling



Series: Supernatural Ficlets [12]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: De-Aged Dean Winchester, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-21 08:57:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/through_shadows_falling/pseuds/through_shadows_falling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The grown-ups were talking and they were very loud. They said all kinds of things Dean didn’t understand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His clothes were really big. 

Dean tugged at his shirt and grinned. He could fit his whole body in just his shirt! It was more like a dress now, and after he tucked in his arms, he swished it back and forth.

The grown-ups were talking and they were very loud. They said all kinds of things Dean didn’t understand. 

“The witch has been dead for hours but the spell hasn’t broken. What do we do?” the tallest man asked. Dean thought his name was Sammy, which was the same name as his baby brother. 

Except Sammy the baby was nowhere to be seen. Maybe Dean should look for him. He bee-lined to the door of their room.

“Let’s go back to the bunker,” the other man said. He had a deep voice. “We need to keep Dean safe while we do some research.”

“Yeah, alright. Hey wait--”

Dean was scooped up before he could properly twist the doorknob. 

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sammy said and Dean wriggled in his arms. He gasped when he saw how high he was and buried his face in the man’s chest. 

Sammy’s body rumbled when he spoke. “Man, it was weird when he was a teenager but  _this_?”

Dean whimpered. Sammy the grown-up felt safe but something was wrong. Where was his brother? And where was his mommy and daddy?

“Oh, come on Dean, don’t cry.”

Dean hiccuped as Sammy rocked him gently. He whined and squirmed as he fought to escape big Sammy’s arms.

“Here, let me take him. You should pack so we can go.”

Sammy passed Dean to the other man, who wore a big coat. Dean snuggled into it as the man eased them down on one of the beds.  

“Cas,” Dean said happily, because he knew this man. Cas was Dean’s friend and he liked him very much. 

“Dean?” Cas asked with a small intake of breath. “Dean, what do you remember?”

Dean played with the buttons of Cas’s jacket. “Ummm I dunno.” He scrunched up his face and thought hard. “A big light. It hurt my eyes.”

“Anything else? Did you smell anything? Taste anything?”

Dean shook his head. “Nuh-uh.” He yawned. “I’m sleepy.”

Cas smiled. “You should take a nap, then.”

“No. Don’t want to.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. If you want to sleep, go ahead. We’ll protect you. You’re safe here.”

“But...but baby Sammy...”

“He’s fine, I promise.”

Dean gazed up at Cas. “Okay. But don’t go.” He clenched Cas’s coat in his fingers.

Cas swallowed. “Alright. I won’t.”

Dean stared at him to make sure he wasn’t lying and then nodded. “Okay.” He slumped against Cas. It was warm and safe there on Cas’s lap, especially when Cas wrapped his arms around him and tugged him close. Cas’s steady heartbeat thumped in his ears. 

Dean breathed in the smell of him and let his eyes drift closed. 

“Love you, Cas,” he mumbled as Cas stroked his hair. 

Cas stiffened, and the last thing Dean felt was lips pressed to the top of his head, along with soft, rumbling words: “I love you, too, Dean.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow there's a sequel! I guess I needed to exorcize some dad!Cas feels like whoa!

 

 

 

Dean’s hand was tiny in his as Castiel led him into the store.

Looking back on his entire existence, he never would’ve imagined that not only would he be Fallen, but he’d also be supervising a small child who’d formerly been his friend.

It was honestly ridiculous. But 'ridiculous’ followed the Winchesters, and Castiel was pretty much one of them now, so he should’ve been better prepared. At least Sam was equally flummoxed. The witch who’d de-aged Dean was dead, but the spell hadn’t worn off and it’d been days. Now, they needed to get Dean clothes and toys and other things to keep a four-year-old occupied while they researched a cure.

Dean tugged on his hand. “The toys! Over there!” His young face lit up as he dragged Castiel over to a display of plastic trucks in the children’s department. “Look! That one’s a dump truck and that one’s a bulldozer.”

“Very good, Dean. Would you like to buy one?”

But Dean bit his lip and shook his head. Suddenly he gasped. “Are there army men here?”  

“Probably. Do you want some?”

“Yeah! And Legos? I used to play Legos with Sammy.” He frowned. “Maybe I should get Sammy some. But no, he’s just a baby so he can’t play with them.” He giggled. “He’d probably try to eat them and that’d be bad!”

“Yes, depending on the size, Legos do pose a choking hazard for infants. But your brother is big, remember? He’s an adult. So were you, before the witch.”

Castiel mentally slapped himself at the blurted words as Dean’s whole body tensed in sudden nervousness.

“Witch? Where?” He clutched Castiel’s leg and hid his face.

Castiel sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. There are no witches here, I promise.”

But Dean wouldn’t let go.

Castiel gently pried off his arms and squatted to be at Dean’s level. “I’m sorry I’m not very good at this,” he said to Dean’s down-turned face. “But we’re going to get you better, okay? And for now we’re going to get you whatever toys you want.”

Dean brightened. “Can I get a monster truck?”

“Um. No, I don’t think those are toys.”

“Not a _real_ one, Cas.” Dean attempted to roll his eyes, but his eyes didn’t quite cooperate.

Castiel smiled. It was times like these that he could glimpse the real Dean inside the child.

They wandered down the aisles of toys until Dean selected a tractor, a wrestling action figure, and a Batman-themed Lego set. Castiel asked a store attendant, but apparently they didn’t sell plastic army men anymore.

Castiel grabbed a shopping cart and dropped Dean’s toy boxes inside as they steered toward the boy’s clothing department. He would never understand human’s concern with gender separation, but Dean didn’t seem to care. He ran his fingers through racks of varying ‘girly’ fabrics as they passed through women’s clothing and then girl’s clothing. Dean paused at one rack, which displayed onesie pajamas with Disney princesses on them.

“I like it on my fingers,” Dean said as he smoothed his hands over the garment.

Castiel wondered if a) Dean’s hands were clean, and b) how many other people had touched it as well, but he followed Dean’s example. The texture was light and fluffy. “Yes, it’s quite soft, isn’t it? Do you want to buy it?”

Dean ducked his head, but gave a very shy nod.

Castiel’s heart warmed. “Here. I think this one is just your size, don’t you think?” He tucked it in the cart with the toys as they continued.

Several pairs of underwear, socks, shirts, pants, and pajamas later, Castiel was beyond ready to leave, but Dean needed shoes. The ones he wore now were too big, but it was all they’d been able to find at the Goodwill on the way back to the bunker. Dean had already tripped in them and skinned his knee, which now bore a Spiderman band-aid. His clothing, too, looked baggy and old, but at least it was clean and after today, Dean would have other choices.

“Oh, Dean, look at these! They light up,” Castiel said, as he tried to appeal to Dean with some racecar sneakers.

But Dean was close to being done as well. He planted himself on one of the stools in the area and swung his legs. He didn’t look up or say anything when Castiel held up shoe after shoe after shoe.

“Dean, you’re going to need to pick something,” Castiel said sternly.  

Dean shook his head.

“Don’t you want new shoes? Those ones you have are too big, and don’t you remember that they made you fall down the other day? It’s better if you get shoes in your size.”

Dean just whined. “Wanna go home.”

Castiel closed his eyes and stood. “Okay, we’ll go home. I’ll have to have Sam come back with you some other time.”

They walked to the registers, where Dean tried to pull candy off the nearby shelves.

“No, no candy, Dean. Okay, one candy. But only _one_.”

By the time they made it back to the bunker, Dean appeared ready for a nap. Only, the instant they got inside and saw Sam in the kitchen, Dean’s energy slammed back.

“Sam! Sammy! SAM! Look!” Dean ripped his new toys out of his bag. “I got Legos and Batman and a tractor and Hulk Hogan!”

“Wow, those are great,” Sam said with a grin. “Whoa, careful, let me help you open those.”

Dean zoomed off once the toys were free from their plastic cases. He disappeared into the library, where his high-pitched voice echoed every few moments - “I’m gonna run over you! NOOOO! HAHAHA you will never defeat me!”

Sam sniggered as Castiel sat down heavily. “Tough day?”

Castiel closed his eyes. “Children are exhausting.”

“Yeah, but at least he sounds like he’s having fun.” Sam shook his head. “Part of me wants to take a million videos so we have blackmail for when he changes back. Actually...I might go take some now.”

He slipped out and Castiel stood to pour himself some coffee.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

That night, as Castiel read Dean to sleep with a dinosaur book they’d gotten for free at the library, he noticed that Dean wasn’t paying attention. 

“Dean?” he asked, for it seemed like Dean was on the verge of tears. The book had never made him sad before, so what was wrong now?

“I’m not...I’m not supposed to be like this,” Dean mumbled, his eyes welling. “I’m not. I’m big. Something’s wrong.”

“Oh, Dean, I know. We’re going to figure it out, okay?” Castiel said, his heart heavy that they still hadn’t found a way to help him. 

Dean squirmed in his gigantic, adult-sized bed. He was wearing his new princess pajamas. “I’m not a kid!”

“I know you’re not. Not really.”

“But why did it happen?”

“It was an accident. I’m sorry I didn’t stop you from getting hit. I should’ve...protected you.” Castiel lowered his head and coughed around a strange lump in his throat. 

When he finally glanced up, Dean was staring at him. 

“I’ll read to you now,” Dean said. He yanked the book from Castiel’s hands and pointed. “That dinosaur is blue like your eyes,” he said, which definitely weren’t the words written on the page. “And he’s sad because he wanted to save his friend but his friend is just happy that they’re okay.”

Castiel smiled. “Well I’m glad to hear that. Thank you, Dean.”

“It’s not over!”

“Oh, my apologies.” 

Dean continued his nonsensical story, and Castiel praised him once he’d finished.

“That was really lovely, Dean. Now it’s time to go to sleep.” He took the book and set it down on Dean’s nightstand, then tucked the covers up under his chin. Dean giggled as Castiel tickled him through the blankets and then bent to press a kiss to his forehead. 

“Sleep well, Dean.”

“Night, Cas.”

Castiel clicked off the lamp and turned to see Sam silhouetted in the doorway. He met him as he left Dean’s room and softly closed the door behind him.

“You’re really good at this,” Sam said. 

Castiel shrugged. “I think it may be some of Jimmy’s latent parenting instincts still in this body."

Sam made a thoughtful face. “I don’t know, man. I think it’s just you.”

“Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it. I really have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Then you’re like every other parent out there,” Sam said. “Now I found this book that I think we should look at...”


End file.
